


Unconventional (Dreamswap)

by OneBizarreKai



Category: Undertale (Fandom), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU - Dreamswap, M/M, Short Story, not really Undertale-related, pre apple incident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 07:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12104109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneBizarreKai/pseuds/OneBizarreKai
Summary: Nightmare is prone to doing ridiculous things, and Dream is well aware of this. Lately, though, he's acting even stranger than normal, and even Nightmare is only just coming to terms with the reason why.(Originally posted on Tumblr.)





	Unconventional (Dreamswap)

Dream woke up in their small house one night, his concern immediately building up when he gained his bearings and noticed that Nightmare was not in the bed next to his.  
  
If he was not there, something happened to him, or rather… or _he_ happened to _something_ , in all honesty.  
  
Dream groggily grabbed the clock on the table next to him and held it up to his face so he could see it in his blurry morning vision.  
  
It was… three AM.  
  
He just heck no'd, putting the clock back down and falling back asleep on his stomach in about a minute and a half. He was not going to figure out where Nightmare was, not at this hour.  
  
Four hours later, Dream woke up again, feeling an unnatural amount of weight on his bed. He looked over his shoulder and quickly noticed that Nightmare was now sleeping behind him, settled in a very cuddly position.  
  
"Nightmare, what are you doing…?" Dream asked, sitting up and turning to face his brother.  
  
"Sleeping, shush yourself…" Nightmare mumbled.  
  
"Sleep in your own bed, would you?"  
  
"Nah…" Nightmare said, grinning, but his eyes still closed. He reached up and pulled Dream back down, wrapping his arms around him. "You should stay here with me…"  
  
"Yeah, how about no thanks," Dream said, but Nightmare had tangled his legs around Dream's in such a way that he couldn't really get back up. "Hey. Let go of me."  
  
"Not happening, lil bro~"  
  
Unable to escape, Dream just sighed, relaxing his weight back down in compliance to his brother's wishes.  
  
The room was quiet for a little while.  
  
"… where in the world were you at three AM this morning?" Dream asked, breaking the silence. "And why are you covered in scrapes?"  
  
"Wha?" Nightmare replied, sounding half asleep. "At three AM? Oh, like, okay, funny story…"  
  
"Please tell me no one has died," Dream said.  
  
"Not yet," Nightmare answered, chuckling. Dream gave him a look, unamused. "But in actuality, well… so, I was like, I wonder what it's like to sleep in a tree."  
  
"Lovely," Dream muttered.  
  
"I was like, I'm gonna sleep in a tree. I'm gonna do it this time. And I went and did it after you already fell asleep. But then I fell out and it sucked."  
  
"I am somehow not surprised by this in the slightest," Dream commented.  
  
"And so I came back, and I was all sad and stuff when I walked in, and I needed to wallow in my defeat next to you."  
  
"Be done wallowing already," Dream told him.  
  
"Oh, I'm done wallowing, I just wanted to cuddle you this time," Nightmare said, holding Dream tightly, rubbing up and down his back.  
  
"I think you're being too touchy-feely for this to qualify as cuddling."  
  
"Then maybe I want to do more than just cuddle?" Nightmare whispered into his ear, stopping his hand on the low of Dream's back. Dream's hand flew up to smack him in the face. "Hey, that was uncalled for."  
  
"That was _very_ 'called for', you idiot," Dream said, not knowing why his face was hot. "Let go of me right now."  
  
"Whatevs, 'my lord'," Nightmare said, rolling over. He seemed a bit disappointed.  
  
"And get out of my bed!"  
  
"You have too many demands."  
  
Dream let out a huff, getting out of his bed to go brush his teeth. When he came back about four minutes later, Nightmare hadn't moved and was snoring softly.  
  
"Wake UP, you doofus," Dream said, putting his hands on Nightmare’s arm and shaking him.  
  
Nightmare grabbed one of Dream's hands and opened one eye.  
  
"Friendly reminder that I didn't sleep all that much last night," he spoke.  
  
"And that's no one's fault but yours," Dream told him.  
  
"Gimme a break, it's only like seven…"  
  
Dream gripped Nightmare's hand that was already holding onto his and pulled on his arm. It only resulted in a bit of flopping and Nightmare ending up partway on the floor.  
  
"For crying out loud," Dream grumbled, letting go of him, grabbing some clothes and going into the closet to change.  
  
Nightmare grunted as he lifted himself from the floor a short time later. He groggily made his way over to the dresser and pulled something out, throwing his pajamas off on the spot.  
  
Dream exited the closet after changing his clothes to see Nightmare shirtless, pulling his pants up.  
  
"Really?" Dream asked.  
  
"What, am I _tempting_ you?" Nightmare asked sarcastically, buttoning up his shirt.  
  
"No, most definitely not."  
  
Nightmare stuck his split-end snake tongue out a little.  
  
Dream has an odd thought for a moment that he quickly dismissed.

* * *

Something very… strange happened that day.  
  
Some random girl holding an envelope walked up to Dream while he and Nightmare were hanging out by the tree of feelings as they usually were.  
  
She looked very flustered, quickly handing the letter over to Dream, saying it was for him before scurrying off. Nightmare peeked up from his book and glanced down at the situation from his spot in the tree.  
  
Was that… some kind of generic anime confession letter scene?  
  
Dang, he would've thought this was so good if other weird feelings hadn't suddenly gotten in the way.  
  
The feelings started hurting as the seconds ticked by. He glared down, watching as Dream tore open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. Dream’s expression turned to surprise, then to discomfort as he read it.  
  
"… oh no…" he mumbled.  
  
"What's up, doc?" Nightmare asked.  
  
"Um… this is exactly what it looks like, if you were paying attention," Dream told him.  
  
"Confession letter?" Nightmare guessed, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Just say you can't."  
  
"But… then she'll probably hold a grudge on me for the rest of her life."  
  
"That's one person in the entire town potentially holding a grudge on you. Like at least half the people living here have grudges on me."  
  
"I like my record."  
  
"Good luck breaking a heart without getting an emotional reaction."  
  
Dream was quiet, staring down at the letter for a few moments. He gripped it tightly before running off in the same direction that the girl did.  
  
"Oh come on, you're really just gonna–?" Nightmare started, but his brother was out of earshot already. Nightmare groaned, leaning back on the tree and trying to turn his attention back to his book.  
  
For some reason, he was feeling something very strong that he couldn't shake.  
  
_What if Dream like, screws this up somehow, and the girl ends up thinking that they actually have some kind of chance?_  
  
The thought made Nightmare feel twisted up inside.  
  
He scoffed.  
  
_Whatever, if he messes up, I'll just scare her off for him._

* * *

"What the f#%k, you actually messed it up?" Nightmare asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Night… language," Dream told him.  
  
"I can't believe this! You actually messed it up!" Nightmare exclaimed. He crossed his arms. "All right, town's least favorite person at your service. What do I need to do?"  
  
"You don't need to do anything," Dream said. "I just need to figure out a way to tell her I can't because of my… obligations or something."  
  
"What did you even tell her?? _'I don't know you well enough'_?" Nightmare asked.  
  
"… yes?"  
  
"Then of course it didn't work!"  
  
"What are you getting so riled up about?" Dream asked him. "This is my personal business."  
  
"Yeah, and you're _my_ brother… of course I'm freaking out!"  
  
"You've never really cared much about anything else going on in my life."  
  
Nightmare paused.  
  
“… That’s… not true," he said.  
  
"But is it?" Dream asked. "I think I understand what's happening here. You're concerned about the attention I give you being shared with someone else."  
  
Nightmare was quiet a few moments, processing this. His face was twitching, trying to figure out what to say.  
  
"Well… maybe that's true!" he retorted. "I don't have any other friends, Dream! And it's not even my fault!"  
  
"There are lots of different kinds of people, Nightmare, you just have to look," Dream told him.  
  
"Are you dismissing how much I care about you?" Nightmare asked. "I don't want any other friends!" He grabbed Dream's shoulders. "You're all I need…!"  
  
"I don't think this is good for you–"  
  
"LIVING HERE ISN'T GOOD FOR ME!!" Nightmare shouted at him.  
  
They both fell silent. Nightmare let go of Dream, slowly shaking his head.  
  
"… F#%k this…" he mumbled before sprinting off.

* * *

Dream hadn't seen his brother in hours. He was starting to get concerned, guilt eating at him, even though he knew he was right.  
  
Nightmare's conditions really weren't the best. How nice it would be if he had just brought them on himself, if it was his own fault for the majority of people hating him. It wasn't. They were convinced from the very beginning that just because he was initially created from negative energy to guard the corresponding apples on the tree of feelings, and because he wasn't like his brother, he was someone worth hating. He simply adapted to it, learning their psychology, toying with them, pulling cruel pranks… it got to the point where many people didn't even want to have anything to do with him.  
  
If it was his goal to scare them off, perhaps he succeeded in some light.  
  
However, Dream didn't particularly like what he decided to do. He knew there was a better solution, and now Nightmare had dug himself into a hole that he had no chance of clawing his way out of… because he never bothered asking Dream for help to begin with.  
  
And there he was, all of a sudden… pouring out his heart.  
  
Dream let out a sigh, knowing what he had to do…  
  
He got up from his position next to the tree and ran off to go find Nightmare.

* * *

The pain that Nightmare was feeling was almost unbearable and nothing like anything else he'd ever felt.  
  
He scratched at the walls of the small cave with a rock to leave marks–anything to distract him from the fact that tears were threatening to come out of his eyes.  
  
_No. I don't cry._  
  
He let out a growl of frustration, turning around and throwing the rock against the opposite wall. It collided loudly and the rock clattered against the floor, the sounds echoing in the cavern.  
  
He wasn't feeling the same way that Dream had… he was feeling guilty for yelling at his brother, but that wasn't it.  
  
It felt like… jealousy? A painful amount of jealousy.  
  
Dream was right, Nightmare didn't want that attention shared with anyone else, and it was becoming much more complicated than either of them realized.  
  
Dream was _his_ brother.  
  
Nightmare froze up as more thoughts hit him, his breath becoming shaky. He grabbed his arms and leaned on the wall, staring down at the ground.  
  
Dream was _HIS_.  
  
He half-smiled, some forced laughs escaping.  
  
"… this is a fricking mess," he mumbled aloud.  
  
It wasn't a joke anymore. In some bizarre turn of events, it had turned into something real, and it made his chest hurt.  
  
**_Dream is mine._**  
  
The real question was, however… would he ever actually tell Dream?  
  
His immediate response would probably be 'hell no', but he was beginning to reconsider as he realized that nothing would get anywhere if he stayed quiet about it…  
  
He slid down the wall to the floor of the cave, burying his face in his hands.  
  
_A truth that might hurt is better than a lie that doesn't._  
  
"Nightmare?"  
  
Nightmare jolted, suddenly hearing his name called by the voice of his brother. Dream noticed him by the wall.  
  
"Finally, I found you. What in the world are you doing in here?" Dream asked, approaching him.  
  
"Hiding from the world, obviously," Nightmare grumbled.  
  
He realized he definitely wasn't fooling himself. He stared up at Dream's yellow irises, almost entranced by them all of a sudden…  
  
"… what is it? Let's go back outside," Dream said, pulling on Nightmare's arm.  
  
"Dream, I just…" Nightmare started, looking down. "Sorry for yelling at you, okay? You were right, I was jealous."  
  
"… thank you," Dream said a bit curtly.  
  
Nightmare stood up as Dream continued pulling him, following him into the sunlight outside.  
  
"So does this mean that you're going to try and make friends?" Dream asked.  
  
"Of course not," Nightmare replied. "It's more complicated than you think."  
  
"Fine, have it your way," Dream told him.  
  
_Frankly, I just want you._  
  
Nightmare’s mind was already jumping to some excuse he could make to share a bed again that night.  
  
Maybe if he was just barely subtle, he could get away with it…  
  
Dream could never turn him away. They had their disagreements, but _nobody_ could get between them.  
  
Nightmare ended up lost in thought, wondering what it would feel like to kiss him…  
  
His thoughts were getting out of hand really fast. He'd been reading way too many books with romantic shenanigans in them lately, always feeling less than interested, but it was coming back to get him.  
  
"I told her there was a misunderstanding," Dream said. "It's all out of the way now, okay?"  
  
Nightmare briskly shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "What?" he asked. "I mean, you figured all that out?"  
  
"Yes, I did," Dream confirmed.  
  
"Oh, dang. I don't get to appear in her house at midnight and tell her to piss off," Nightmare said, snapping his fingers. "Such a shame."  
  
"That's not how I like to solve my problems," Dream said with a sigh, even though Nightmare was being half sarcastic.  
  
"But it's so much more fun that way," Nightmare commented. Half sarcastic because he would actually do it.  
  
"Maybe for you, it might," Dream continued. "Everything is always about matching your sense of humor when it comes to you."  
  
"Well, of course it is." Nightmare wasn't really sure why Dream was still talking about this–he wasn't going to get lectured AGAIN, was he?  
  
_Come on, we just recovered from the last one!_  
  
"Just like you playing around this morning. What even was that?" Dream asked.  
  
"I was half asleep," Nightmare declared.  
  
"So it was your natural inclination."  
  
"Where are you going with this? I was just messing around." He looked away, grinning. "Unlessssss… that's not the answer you want?"  
  
"You're doing it again," Dream said.  
  
"Do you have a problem with it?" Nightmare asked.  
  
"I feel uncomfortable with how lightly you take it," Dream answered. He couldn't stop himself as he continued talking. "Imagine just how much it would hurt… _someone_ if they actually liked you, and you were just toying with them."  
  
"Are you implying something…?" Nightmare asked. "Or is this just a moment where I remind you that no one likes me?"  
  
Dream turned his head away. “No, I'm just saying.”  
  
Nightmare raised a brow. "Really…? Because I won't judge you, I mean look at this unappreciated… okay, I'm just gonna cut myself off there."  
  
"I respect that you decided to not finish that shameless statement," Dream said, still not looking back.  
  
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Nightmare asked, grabbing his arm and turning him.  
  
Dream's cheekbones were glowing a bright yellow.  
  
"Aww, are you embarrassed?" Nightmare cooed, but then paused. "Oh, god. Is this when I'm supposed to stop?"  
  
"Yes, stop, you're being a shameless idiot," Dream told him, pulling his arm away and sitting down in front of the tree of feelings that they had just arrived at.  
  
Nightmare stood there quietly, taking in the fact that Dream actually looked really freaking cute. The feelings he was learning to recognize were only getting stronger, burning brighter in his chest.  
  
He could've just done it right then, he could've knelt down over Dream and kissed him while he was in a place that he couldn't easily get away.  
  
But… that wasn't such a good idea, was it.  
  
He walked around to the other side of the tree trunk, sitting down there so he and Dream would have been back to back had the tree not been there.  
  
Well, things were already awkward. Was that a step up or a step down?  
  
Nightmare closed his eyes and leaned his head back.  
  
Within a few minutes, he had accidentally nodded off, not realizing how tired he was.  
  
Dream was reading something on his side and heard Nightmare snoring. He rolled his eyes.  
  
Dream looked around the trunk, and sure enough, Nightmare was basically asleep, looking like he could fall over at any given time. Dream let out a sigh, standing up and running towards their small house nearby.  
  
He came back with a blanket, put it over Nightmare and shifted into a position next to him to hold him up.  
  
"Idiot…" Dream mumbled, trying to return to his reading.

* * *

Nightmare woke up a while later, feeling oddly warm. He opened his eyes, the sunlight glaring into them. His neck was sore from sleeping in a weird position… he turned his head and noticed that weird position was being asleep on Dream's shoulder, who also seemed to be asleep by then, loosely holding a book in his arms.  
  
Nightmare felt something jump in his chest.  
  
Why hadn't he ever noticed it before? Dream was literally the sweetest damn thing on the planet, even if he was always trying to tell Nightmare what to do and talked like that one kid who skipped six grades.  
  
Nightmare looked around them to check that no one else was in the area. After confirming this, he leaned in and gently gave Dream a kiss on the forehead.  
  
"Dream… I love you," he said quietly.  
  
He put the blanket over both of them and closed his eyes again.  
  
Dream cracked open an eye, but said nothing.

* * *

Later that night…  
  
The two of them had gone back into their house. Dream was sitting at the table of their small kitchen, occupied by an old book, while Nightmare was on the couch trying to solve some three-dimensional puzzle out of a box that had been given to them (or Dream, to be more specific) by one of the older folks in the town.  
  
"Hey Dream, what're you reading?" Nightmare asked, standing up and leaning over his shoulder.  
  
Dream flinched, about to close the book, but it was too late.  
  
"… just reading about the tree," he replied.  
  
"Oh. Boring…" Nightmare mumbled, plopping back down on the couch.  
  
"I find it fascinating," Dream told him.  
  
"Eh," Nightmare 'said' with a shrug. "I mean, I guess the idea of magically transforming after eating a lot of them is remotely interesting. If that's a thing. I can't really remember."  
  
"Yes, eating the corrupted apples is supposed to turn you some kind of horrifying demon," Dream said. "I don't understand why they're openly displayed like that, if that's the case."  
  
"No one would want to eat them anyway," Nightmare said. "What does eating the gold apples turn you into? A god?"  
  
"Nightmare, being a god means that you know, see and understand everything that exists. I doubt it."  
  
Nightmare hummed, lying down on the couch with his puzzle.  
  
_One who consumes even one of these fruits is said to be granted unique comprehension of the feelings of everyone around them._  
  
Dream glanced over at Nightmare momentarily.  
  
_Well, I know someone who could benefit from an ability like that._  
  
Dream closed the book and carefully put it back in the shelf.  
  
"I'm going to bed," he stated.  
  
Nightmare sat up. "What? But it's so early," he said.  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
Nightmare threw the puzzle onto the couch and stood up. "But… I… can I…"  
  
"What?" Dream asked.  
  
"I really want to… um… can I sleep with you?" Nightmare stammered, feeling his face heat up. How else could he have put it?  
  
Dream sighed. "… fine. But go take a shower."  
  
"Oh come on… but…"  
  
" **Go** ," Dream repeated.  
  
Nightmare sighed in defeat, dragging himself into their room, pulling out some pajamas, and the dragging himself into the bathroom.  
  
Dream changed his own clothes before collapsing onto his bed.  
  
He had a lot to think about… but there was one thing disturbing his thoughts.  
  
Nightmare had been acting strangely… and he himself has been feeling strangely in return. He almost felt like… it wasn't so bad. His thoughts jumped back to the beginning of the day, when Nightmare had been holding him the way he was.  
  
Would he… want that again?  
  
He could get it… they would be next to each other again in mere minutes…  
  
Dream's thoughts suddenly drifted to the idea of Nightmare holding him even closer, hands sliding down his arms under they were touching his legs, then…  
  
Dream's eyes opened wide, one of them twitching a bit. His face lit up.  
  
_Where did that come from?!_  
  
Nightmare walked into the room and threw his load of day clothes straight into a laundry basket.  
  
"Everything all right?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, of course," Dream said, shifting over slightly. Nightmare got in next to him. The bed was small, they both hardly fit. Nightmare shifted up right behind Dream to compensate, and Dream could feel his breath on his neck.  
  
If Dream simply turned around, they would be on the verge of…  
  
"Nightmare, stop hoarding the blanket," Dream said. "It's cold."  
  
"It's cold, huh?" Nightmare asked.  
  
He lifted up the corner of the blanket and wrapped it over Dream, pulling him back into him in the process.  
  
Dream's breath hitched.  
  
Why was this weird all of a sudden? They had slept next to each other on so many occasions…  
  
"Hey, Dream," Nightmare started quietly, speaking into Dream's ear. "Turn around, you'll be warmer."  
  
"But… then I would just be…" Dream stammered.  
  
"Just do it."  
  
Dream let out a sigh, rotating his position. Now he was right up against Nightmare's neck, their bodies in parallel to each other.  
  
Nightmare wrapped the blanket around them more snugly, holding onto Dream tightly.  
  
Dream could feel his heart racing for some reason he couldn't understand. He didn't even technically have a heart.  
  
The thumping wasn't just him, though… he could hear it in the chest in front of him.  
  
"Um… this is somewhat…" Dream started, looking up. He didn't finish his sentence when he and Nightmare locked eyes.  
  
They stared at each other, unmoving.  
  
It was… so strange…  
  
Their thoughts had become the same, and containing them was becoming increasingly difficult.  
  
Even though neither of them had any idea what they were doing, or even why, frankly…  
  
… the distance between them was closed, ever so slowly.  
  
As they both realized what exactly was happening, Nightmare took hold of Dream's face with one hand without hesitation and became more aggressive. His other hand slid down to Dream's hip, holding him firmly.  
  
"Nnn… Nightmare…" Dream managed to say. Nightmare moved away just a tiny bit.  
  
"I guess I can't keep this from you anymore…" Nightmare said with a nervous laugh. "I kinda… really love you."  
  
"How long have you known for?" Dream asked.  
  
"Depends on how you define 'known'…"  
  
"You know what, never mind…"  
  
Dream gave up on being sensible, letting his feelings take over for once in his life. He kissed Nightmare again, lifting up his hand to his face. Before Nightmare could do anything about it, Dream sat up, shifting his weight on top of him. Nightmare let out a muffled squeal of some sort as Dream basically sat down on him, dominating the kiss.  
  
They parted, both of them panting slightly.  
  
"… that escalated quickly," Nightmare said between breaths.  
  
Dream narrowed his eyes at Nightmare's incongruous comment, giving him a disbelieving look. He only had time to do it for about three seconds, though, as Nightmare reached up to his sides and quickly flipped him over, swapping their positions.  
  
Nightmare leaned down and kissed him, putting his hands on Dream's hips to keep him from moving. He began planting more kisses, slowly moving down to Dream's neck.  
  
"Night… come on," Dream said. "… let me do this."  
  
"Nope," Nightmare replied, but Dream tried to flip him over again anyway, ready to be as aggressive as he needed to, but both of them had forgotten how small the bed was and they fell off, landing in a heap with the blanket.  
  
They writhed in pain for a little bit, before stopping and looking at the one who'd landed by their side. They both laughed, their faces glowing with embarrassment.  
  
"That was totally your fault," Nightmare said.  
  
"Fine, it was," Dream admitted. "But that was only because I thought you were getting ahead of yourself."  
  
"Getting ahead of myself? What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Dream let out a bit of a scoff, standing up with the blanket and putting it nicely back on the bed.  
  
"Oh, I think you know what I mean," Dream told him.  
  
Nightmare got to his feet. "What makes you say that?" he asked. He pulled Dream into him, minimizing the distance between them again.  
  
"My wants, I suppose?" Dream answered. He clutched at the sleeves of Nightmare's shirt and kissed him. With them standing up, Nightmare keeping Dream down was significantly harder, and he found himself tripping onto the bed that had ended up behind him while Dream crawled on top of him.  
  
Nightmare lay there, staring into Dream's eyes, breath heavy and (imaginary) heart pounding out of his chest.  
  
This kind of _was_ an unexpected turn of events to him. And that look on Dream's face, it was looking strikingly similar to that sadistic face that he made when he got his way and made Nightmare do something he really didn't want to…  
  
… well, it made sense, and this time, instead of pissing Nightmare off, it was kind of sexy. He mentally cursed as that realization hit him, and when Dream half-smiled wider, it only made it worse and Nightmare felt his face get even hotter.  
  
"Stop making that face, you jerk," Nightmare pouted, turning his head away.  
  
"You've embarrassed me enough in our lives," Dream said, leaning right up to him. "I think you can take a little."  
  
Dream took hold of Nightmare's face, turning it forward again. He kissed him again, this time running his tongue over Nightmare's teeth for permission to enter. Nightmare simply gave in, letting Dream do what he wanted.  
  
Dream was actually enjoying the fact that Nightmare was being so obedient. They both seemed to be behaving unusually right then…  
  
Dream started unbuttoning Nightmare's shirt.  
  
"W-wait, Dream–" Nightmare stammered, grabbing onto Dream's shoulder.  
  
Dream stopped. "Oh… are you, um…"  
  
"No, I mean, I… I didn't think I'd be in this position, okay…" Nightmare admitted.  
  
"Is that all you're worried about? So you'd go through with it the other way."  
  
Nightmare somehow blushed even harder.  
  
"There's no need to worry," Dream told him. "I'll be gentle with you…"  
  
A look of utter emotional confusion rose on Nightmare’s face, as if he was about to spew flustered swears at any given time. Yet, he didn’t.  
  
"Can you… stop saying such weird stuff?" Nightmare asked as Dream started trailing kisses on his collarbone.  
  
"I certainly can, but that doesn't mean I will," Dream replied. "After all, my primary responsibility is to dent your pride as much as possible."  
  
"What??"  
  
"And embarrass you," Dream added, giving Nightmare a kiss on the nose.  
  
"But that's my job, to embarrass you!" Nightmare told him.  
  
"And you've had your share of that."  
  
"But I–"  
  
"Oh, be quiet already."  
  
Dream kissed him again to prevent any further comments.

* * *

Nightmare lay there, still awake in Dream's arms.  
  
_Oh god, Dream's arms are around me. I've gone full uke mode in one night. Pride gone. Game over. Plotting revenge._  
  
"Are you still awake?" Dream asked, apparently also still awake.  
  
"… yeah," Nightmare mumbled.  
  
"It occurred to me that I may have forgotten something that could lead to misunderstandings…" Dream said.  
  
"Dude, it's way too late to be talking with that many words…"  
  
Dream kissed Nightmare on the forehead. "I love you too.”  
  
Nightmare was quiet for just a moment.  
  
"Aw, Dream…” he spoke.  
  
Even in the dark, Dream could see that Nightmare was beaming. It may have been the happiest that Dream had seen him in a long time.  
  
Nightmare gave Dream a kiss before snuggling into him. "I guess now I can get away with acting protective and it'll make sense to you."  
  
"Oh, right. I was wondering why you were acting up about that letter fiasco," Dream stated.  
  
"You better be careful who you talk to, I might shank them," Nightmare said with a laugh.  
  
"Please don't do that…”  
  
Dream let out a bit of a hum after they were silent for a bit.  
  
"You know, um… speaking of people…” he started.  
  
"Don't tell anyone about this?" Nightmare asked.  
  
"Yes, not yet," Dream answered.  
  
"Cool, that means it can be a secret affair," Nightmare said with a smirk.  
  
Dream let out a huff of air. "You're such a dolt."  
  
"And you're a pretty boy."  
  
"Lunatic."  
  
"Goody-goody."  
  
Dream ran his hand down Nightmare's cheek. "In spite of what just happened?"  
  
"You'll never escape your goodiness. Doomed to goodidom. With a secret dark side," Nightmare said, putting his arms around Dream's neck.  
  
"And you're an audacious nerd," Dream told him.  
  
Nightmare laughed. "That couldn't be more true."  
  
They kissed once more before relaxing their position to eventually drift off to sleep.


End file.
